Any recommendations on doorbell cameras? I used to have Ring and it was ok. Moved and got Blink- sucks, didn’t realize it was battery only, constantly dead. Looking at Eufy from Costco- hardwired and no subscription because it uses local storage. Thoughts?
I got a jeatone for the peephole
Advantages:
- It can work 100% offline because it has a 5" screen inside the door so I can see who’s outside
- It can record 100% offline because it has a 128gb microSD (located inside the door so it can’t be stolen without breaking&entering)
- It has a PIR sensor in front so it only activates when someone is in front, so cars passing on the road don’t activate a recording
- It has a removable battery
- The battery is 5000 mAh so it lasts months and months
- It charges via USB c
- Bidirectional microphone and if someone rings the bell (and I gave it wifi access) first I get a notification “someone is in front of the door” when the pir sensor detected movement, then when he rings the bell I get a video call
- No subscription required
- App UI to see recordings is decent, thanks to the dedicated movement sensor it highlights times with recordings without using AI detection or something like that
- IR floodlights to see everything clearly in night time (although in pitch black can see faint dark red lights from the LEDs)
- It costs half price than the ring and doesn’t come with the mandatory privacy intrusion
- Doesn’t require screws or vhb tape, once inserted in the peephole it has hooks for a toolless install of the inside vision LCD screen
- Maybe because it’s based on tuya it can be possible to integrate it with home assistant? I didn’t try it, I didn’t trust it so I placed it on a “no LAN access” WLAN
Disadvantages:
- It doesn’t support onvif or other standard protocol so if someone wants an automatic backup of recordings off-site, the only option is to pay a cloud recording subscription
- Fucking tuya
- Technically, it can be removed without tools to charge at an outlet once a few months, but then you need to insert again the flat cable from the camera on the motherboard, not something that can last hundreds of insertions, I had to buy a very long out of spec USB cable to charge it (temporarily for 2 hours every few months, then remove it)
We had an old version of something similar. We got rid of it because the angle didn’t work. We’ve since changed the door and don’t have a peephole anymore.
I imagine you’re aware of this but Ring have a deal with police where they can view your doorbell’s footage without a warrant. Idk if this is the case for other brands but certainly worth keeping in mind
From your OP it sounds like you want something that’s plug and play with an easy to use app. Personally I don’t recommend any cloud connected cameras. Blink, eufy, ring, they’re all hot trash and sell your data and the feeds to anyone and everything. On top of that you have no guarantee that one day they won’t just like, shut down your doorbell cloud, man. Happens all the time.
I use a reolink WiFi wired 2k camera. Drop in replacement to a normal doorbell (doesn’t need Ethernet or a neutral wire) and I have it set to connect locally.
You can use their app if you like.
Quality is great, day or night. Connects to Wi-Fi really well even though my AP is on the other side of the house. No problems with weather.
I’m ok with a little setup time if the product works well consistently. Several people have mentioned the neo. I’ll check it out.
I have an Arlo, and it gets the job done. Local SD card storage (you have to buy the hub for this), HomeKit integration. No complaints.
I bought a Reolink a few months ago, and I quite like it.
Another here for Reolink. I have a full house setup and they’ve been rock solid.
It looks like Costco used to sell the Reolink but now they don’t have any on their site. I’m not tied to Costco, I just really like being able to drive over and return it if I get something I don’t like.
Eh, we don’t have Costco where I live, can’t help you with that part.
Been researching for my house and narrowed it down between Reolink and TP-Link Tapo.
I’ve seen a few people recommending Aqara recently, but no personal experience myself.
Never heard of that. I will check it out.
I didnt know they had cameras now, but they’ve made smart home IoT devices like switches and sensors for years now.
What are your requirements?
I have a Ring that has served well and I believe there are newer models with a package camera. However I’m not happy about the privacy situation.
Since it’s not immediate, I’m waiting to see what Apple comes up with.
- Apple claims to be privacy focussed
- my family is all Apple already
- end-to-end encryption
- functional out of the box, not a project like self-hosting would be
- no extra subscriptions for cloud storage
- possible synergy with smart lock
That’s a lot of nice claims
I’ve been a fan of Wyze, https://www.wyze.com/products/wyze-video-doorbell-v2. Comparably inexpensive equipment. Has a micro sd card slot. Does not require a subscription. I can access recordings on the sd card through the app. They do offer a subscription, however it mostly seems tied to better auto detection of objects
I have a blink camera, not a doorbell camera, but just a regular outdoor camera that I have near the front door. The batteries in it lasted nearly a year before they needed replacing. Curious how long it was lasting in your doorbell camera? I would expect it to be similar unless it’s basically recording constantly or something.
Batteries can get quickly depleted when the wifi connection is unstable. My camera had to be recharged every month until I got a dedicated wifi extender in the hallway by the front door. Since then the battery lasts about half a year.
Mine are only lasting about 3 weeks. We live on a fairly busy street. Also, it only rings the doorbell and app if you hold the bottom for 2-3 seconds.
I really enjoyed my Blink for the first two weeks, but I didn’t really want to buy another 24 pack of batteries to keep it running for another two weeks.
Now it just hangs out by the front door and makes people think we’re recording them.
